Alive Day: A Memoir

The pain of war is not limited to those who serve in the field. In this raw and searing memoir, Fugett describes meeting her husband Cleve as an adolescent. After some years as friends, they reconnect and marry before his deployment to Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines. While both Fugett and Cleve struggle with their destructive issues and maturity, much of the book focuses on Cleve returning wounded from Afghanistan. From drug use to hospitalizations and struggles with the labyrinthine system of Veterans Affairs, this book demonstrates the toll that war takes on those left to pick up the pieces. While an emotionally difficult read, readers will greatly appreciate the strength it takes veterans and their families to overcome their experiences, even though they can sometimes lose themselves in the process.